See Us Coming Together Song

We know that young children are curious about their racial, ethnic, and cultural identity (or identities). As social beings, we want to build connections with others. We all want to have a sense of belonging, and little ones benefit in many ways when they can feel positively about their identity group.

Explain that Ji-Young is a new neighbor who lives on Sesame Street with her family. She loves to play guitar with her friends, Elmo, Abby, and Tamir. We can learn more about her and the “Best Friend Band” through this video titled, “Ji-Young’s Song.” Ji-Young is Korean-American. In Korean, Ji means smart and Young means brave. And Ji also has another special meaning: Sesame.

In this song, Ji-Young is on guitar, Tamir on drums, Elmo on piano, and Abby on kazoo! Each instrument makes its own sound, and together they create something new and beautiful.

Watch together with children. You might also:

• Sing along to Ji-Young’s new song about making new friends
• To start the song, Ji-Young counts to four in Korean. Do children know how to count to four in more than one language? If not, try looking up how to count to four in any language you wish.
• Notice together that Ji-Young sings about being proud: “No one else has got my style! No one else has got my heart! No one else has got my smile!” Talk about what pride is: it is a wonderful feeling. It’s when we feel really good about who we are or about something we did. We can feel proud about what someone else did, too. What do you feel proud about?
• The friends sing, “La la la la, la la la la, Ji-Young’s song.” Try singing it with your child’s name, or the names of others!